NIHR Race Equality Framework: development of a tool for addressing racial equality in public involvement

While there has been a long recognition of the importance of race equality in health and care research, there is a lack of sustained action among research funding and research performing organisations to address racial equality in public involvement. This paper describes how the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) convened a Race Equality Public Action Group (REPAG), which co-developed with public contributors and stakeholders a Race Equality Framework – a tool for addressing racial equality in public involvement. The REPAG, through meetings and discussions, defined the focus of the Framework, and developed an initial draft of the Framework. Public contributors identified the need for broader consultation with other public members. Three community consultation events with a total of 59 members of Black African-, Asian- and Caribbean-heritage communities were held to seek their views on health and care research generally and on the draft Framework specifically. The draft Framework was modified and piloted among 16 organisations delivering health and care research. Following feedback from the pilot, the Framework was modified and prepared for publication. The Framework is designed as a self-assessment tool comprised of 50 questions pertaining to five domains of organisational activity: 1) individual responsibility, 2) leadership, 3) public partnerships, 4) recruitment, and 5) systems and processes. The questions were co-designed with REPAG public members and provide key concepts and elements of good practice that organisations should consider and address on their path to achieving racial competence. The accompanying materials provide implementation guidance with 20 detailed steps, case studies of actions taken in seven pilot organisations, and links to additional resources. The pilot demonstrated the feasibility of conducting a meaningful self-assessment over a period of three months and the usefulness of the results for developing longer-term action plans. The Framework represents the first self-assessment tool for addressing racial equality in public involvement. Co-design with REPAG public members enhanced its authenticity and practicality. Organisations in the field of health and care research and any other organisations that use partnerships with the public are encouraged to adopt the Framework. For a long time, race equality within research has not been a priority. To address this the NIHR created a group to come up with solutions to tackle this – the Race Equality Public Action Group. Recognising the need to help research organisations with how they involved members of the public from diverse groups, the Race Equality Framework was born. The Race Equality Framework was devised to help organisations become more inclusive, develop better links with diverse communities and make their work more equitable. Consultation with members of the public from Black African-, Asian- and Caribbean-heritage communities were held and were essential in developing the Framework. Sixteen organisations who are involved in health and care research were recruited as pilot partners. They worked through the Framework and provided further feedback and input. The final product is a self-assessment tool which comprises of 50 questions across five domains. These domains are: 1) individual responsibility, 2) leadership, 3) public partnerships, 4) recruitment, and 5) systems and processes. The questions are designed to promote reflection and improve organisational good practice. This is the first tool of its kind, and we recommend its use for health and care research organisations that work closely and develop partnerships with members of the public.